Addressing unconscious bias: basic awareness in the workplace

This online module from ScreenSkills is designed to help you understand what unconscious bias is, how it might manifest itself at work and how to challenge your assumptions to promote greater diversity and inclusion.

People working in the screen industries are in the privileged position of making content that reflects the experiences and shapes the thinking of our audiences. If our unconscious biases go unchecked, we are at risk of only working with people like us and limiting the influence of people from other backgrounds. This impacts on what our audiences experience on screen, and also whether our industry is viewed as an accessible and attractive place to work.

Raising awareness of our unconscious biases helps reduce their impact, however it does not eliminate them. This module explores theory as well as strategies to help tackle its impact at work. Staying alert to our unconscious biases is an ongoing process that might involve refreshing or extending our awareness on a regular basis via continued development opportunities.

In this module we are using the term unconscious bias.  This concept is also referred to as implicit bias or implicit association.​

Assessment

There is a 20-minute test at the end of the module. If you pass the test, you will be able to download a certificate as evidence of your learning.

You will fail the test if you get less than 80% of the questions right. You can retake the test as many times as you need until you pass, but it will be a different test from the last one taken. If you fail badly, you should consider retaking the learning.

Cost

There’s no charge for taking this module. It’s been funded by:

• the BFI, awarding National Lottery funds as part of its Future Film Skills strategy
• the ScreenSkills High-end TV Skills Fund, with contributions from high-end television productions
• the ScreenSkills Television Skills Funds, with contributions from the BBC, Channel 4, ITV and Channel 5

Arts Council England supported the launch of the online learning platform.

Module content

By the end of this module you will:

• Understand what unconscious biases are and why we have them
• Understand how they are formed and when they are most likely to be triggered at work
• Understand how our unconscious biases impact our decision making
• Understand how our unconscious biases affect our behaviour
• Understand the benefits that recognising and working to address our unconscious biases have for our work and our audiences
• Recognise our own unconscious biases and triggers
• Identify strategies for challenging our unconscious biases

Who it's for

This module is recommended for anyone who is currently working, or thinking of working, in the UK screen industries, which include film, TV, animation, visual effects (VFX) and games.

We recommend completing this module in one sitting. However, if you’re not able to do so your progress will be saved, and when you come back you will be taken to the last screen you completed.

You might find it useful to have a pen and a piece of paper to makes notes and record your thoughts offline as you work through this module.

When you’re ready, hit the ‘start’ button to begin.